Tendulkar, Warne, Kallis in line to be voted cricketer of the generation
Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne and Jacques Kallis, the most successful batsman, bowler and allrounder respectively of the recent past, are the leading contenders for ESPNcricinfo's Cricketer of the Generation award. The award, to be presented on March 14, will honour the most outstanding cricketer between the years 1993 and 2013, and will cap ESPNcricinfo's 20th anniversary celebrations.
Muttiah Muralitharan and Brian Lara also received nominations from a 50-member jury, comprising leading cricketers, cricket writers and commentators, but didn't make the cut for a place in the final three.
Last November, Tendulkar ended a storied 24-year-career during which he set many of the most coveted batting records, including those for most Test runs and Test hundreds, and for most ODI runs and ODI hundreds. A complete batsman with no apparent weaknesses, he was the first to score a hundred international centuries, a mark that may never be broken. He is also arguably the biggest icon the game has ever known.
Warne was another cricketer adored by the crowds, both for his charisma and his flamboyant bowling. He made legspin fashionable again, mixing a garguantan legbreak with an array of straighter deliveries, and landing them all with unprecedented accuracy. He was the first bowler to 700 Test wickets, was Man-of-the-Match in the semi-final and final of the 1999 World Cup, and his delivery to bamboozle Mike Gatting in 1993 is perhaps the most famous one in the game's history.
Kallis is a lower-profile performer than the other two candidates for the award, but he was without doubt the outstanding allrounder of his generation, and prompted comparisons with the greatest allrounder of them all, Garry Sobers. As a batsman alone, his record bears comparison with the very best - over 10,000 runs each in Tests and ODIs. In addition, he took 577 international wickets with his pace bowling, besides being among the safest slip fielders.
The winner will be announced on March 14 in Mumbai at ESPNcricinfo's annual awards, now in their seventh year. The awards recognise the best individual batting and bowling performances in cricket over 2013. Previous winners include Tendulkar, Shahid Afridi, Virender Sehwag, Dale Steyn, Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga.
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"The 20 years of ESPNcricinfo's existence have coincided with one of the great periods in cricket," editor-in-chief Sambit Bal said. "The '90s would count among the most competitive eras in the history of the game - both in terms of the contest between bat and ball, and the overall standard of teams. So it seemed right for us to wind up our 20th anniversary celebrations by honouring the most outstanding cricketer of this generation."
ESPNcricinfo's 20th anniversary celebrations also included a series of summits with former greats such as Rahul Dravid, Steve Waugh and Ian Chappell to discuss the game's big issues.
Sachin Tendulkar..He is worth more than this..Great ambassador of the game!!!
without doubt the award goes to Sir.Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar - Cricketer of the Century.
The paragraph about Tendulkar should also add how his career sputtered towards the end, and how he clung on to the team for his personal milestone. A fair comparison would be how each of these legends ended their careers.
Shane Warne hands down. He mastered the hardest art in the game and the aura and theatre he created was second to none. With respect to Tendulkar.
Kallis is a great cricketer, but never a standout performer that you need to be in order to win such an accolade such as this. He played many great innings, but too many of them were supporting acts rather than "Look at me, i will win this game for my team."
u can another Tendulkar or even a Warne in next 10 years. ,,,, but I dare you to find a kallis .... the best allrounder to play the game
no wonder it will be sachin as it will be presented by crickinfo ..
The opening line of this report is wrong. Shane Warne is certainly not the Most Successful Bowler. Still amazes me how Murali did not make the cut. having had to deal with all the controversies and still reach 800 wickets. 92 wickets more than Warne
Kallis. It HAS to be Kallis. Come on. the man was effectively 2 players in 1 and crucial to South Africa's rise to power. Everything was built around him.
As a batsman alone he could rescue south africa in times of trouble and put them into dominating positions. He has done it time and again. Effectively he has been South Africa's long serving Sachin and Dravid as one cricketer. Although he was no longer a strike bowler in his final 5-6 years as a player, he did his bit and more with crucial wickets to break partnerships. I'd say 577 international wickets puts him on a pedestal. After all, how many cricketers have ever been mentioned in the same breath as Sir Garry ? Surely, even if he didn't have the same visual impact as that legend, he made his mark in his own subtle way. Very low-profile and yet almost as effective and absolutely vital to South Africa in every situation.
He called time when he thought his form was failing and went out with a 100. That's the mark of a champion.
I am very, very sad to hear that MURALI didn't get place in the final three.he was the best ever spin bowler and he was the one and only bowler to take 800 Test wickets(i'm pretty sure that may never be broken).